Blue Max
Platform: ZX Spectrum
Region: UK
Media: Snapshot
Controller: Kempston, Interface 2, Cursor, R
Genre: Shoot 'em Up - Action - Scrolling
Gametype: Undefined
Release Year: 1984
Developer: Bob Polin, F. David Thorpe 
Publisher: US Gold Ltd
Players: 1
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For those who know nothing of World War I or it's heroes, this game is named after Max Chatsworth, one of Britain's Flying Aces. Chatsworth's fame began in battle, when he was out on a reconnaissance mission, and his squadron was decimated by enemy planes. The pilot survived, and in the process shot down seven enemy fighters. He shot down thirteen more the next month. For these actions, Germany offered their Blue Max medal to anyone who could shoot Chatsworth downand Chatsworth got a new nicknameBlue Max.

As Blue Max, you go out on sortiesflying missionsattacking assigned targets. Targets include bridges, buildings, enemy planes, tanks, bridges, anti-aircraft batteries, vehicles and ships. You progress to new missions as you take out your targets.

You must drop bombs to take out the ground targets, and this action also represents a key danger for you. Unlike the modern bombers that drop bombs on targets far below, early aircraft engaged in semi-suicidal bombing runs. The pilots started at high altitude, then tipped the planes nose downward towards their ground-based target, and pulled up before they hit the ground. In the middle of the dive and pull up process, they released the bomb. There were problems of coordination, found in the game as wellif you time it wrong, or start too low, you will crash.

This game has aroused some controversy too, which supposedly caused it to be banned in Germany. In the course of your missions, you end up bombing houses.

Trivia:

On August 31, 1985, Blue Max was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS.

Note: Indexed products by the BPjS/BPjM are illegal to sell or make available to minors in Germany and it is illegal to advertise for it in any form. But there is absolutely no law forbidding any adult to buy such a product. The only exception is when a game was in addition also confiscated (or put on the so-called "List B" for BPjM games), but this is rather seldom the case. 

In this particularly case here, Blue Max was just indexed, but not confiscated.

However, due to the fact that advertisement also means the presence of a product on the shelves of a store, the product will disappear from the public. But it can be bought in supporting stores "under the desk" (per request).

BPjS/BPjM = German Bundesprfstelle fr jugendgefhrdende Schriften/Medien = Federal Examination Office for Youth-Endangering Publications/Media.


http://www.mobygames.com/game/zx-spectrum/blue-max

